Don't Starve - Tickle
by Mimmiroo
Summary: Wilson searches for gold to build an Alchemy Machine, and runs into an unsuspected guest along the way.


Fandom: Don't Starve

Rating: PG-13 (light violence)

Character: Wilson, Insane!Wilson

Words: Approx. ~1500

Author's Note: PerciWhale wanted a fan fic where Insane!Wilson was nice to Wilson and I wanted to see Wilson laugh. Boom, tickle fic. Also, look at me using narrative structure, Freytag would be proud. Or not, it's whatever.

Wilson trudged through the field, damp from the unnaturally thick fog. This wasn't his first trip through the eternally misty area; upon exploring the area the first time around Wilson had stumbled across a small collection of graves. Horrified at his discovery, he promptly returned to camp. It had been a considerable amount of time before he convinced himself to return, even if he was reluctant to do so.

His time abroad at the Miskatonic University had introduced him to the archaic study of alchemy. Alchemy, an odd science that seemed to incorporate magic into its practice convinced Wilson to accept it as mere entertainment… But this new world has proven to be the perfect environment for such fantasies. As with the Science Machine, Wilson set out to create an Alchemy Machine to contain and process his experiments, he just needed some precious gold.

Wilson stepped up to the first grave and swallowed, though his throat was quite dry. He noticed the cold sweat dripping down his forehead as he fought off chills and the urge to run back to camp.

"G-Get ahold of yourself Higgsbury…" Wilson stuttered, clutching the newly crafted shovel in his damp hands. "If there are other inhabitants on this island…Well, I hope they'll understand." He thought to himself, slamming the tip of the shovel into the ground. While he worked the soggy ground Wilson's mind filled with thoughts of what would possibly lurk below… How did these graves get here? Is this where Maxwell buried the other poor souls lured into this strange land? Could it be a trap set up by Maxwell? Wilson's breathing became sporadic and heavy, he was not sure if it was from the fear or from the shoveling.

Wilson stopped dead as damp dirt crumbled off of what looked like a red stiff piece of plastic. He bent down and pulled the object out of the ground and examined what looked like a small toy rocket ship. "_A child's toy_?" Wilson pondered, turning the toy around in his hand. "_Maxwell's dragging children here_?" He felt a pit form in his stomach as a wave of nausea washed over Wilson. Feeling faint with his legs getting  
weak, Wilson lurched forward and grabbed onto the cold headstone with his free hand.

"Never took you for a grave digger, Percival."

Wilson jerked his head up and looked around frantically, "W-Whose there…!? Show yourself!" He blurted, searching for what sounded like a voice composed of whispers. His stomach threatened to empty itself as his heart pounded with fear.

"And here I didn't think you could sink lower than picking up mammoth shit."

Eager to find the owner of the voice, Wilson spun around a little too fast. Losing his balance Wilson tumbled backwards into the grave as his nausea spilled all over himself and the fresh dirt. "Woah! Easy there, I thought you were a gentleman Percy. That's no way to greet a friend."

A silky yet stiff cloud-like hand curled around Wilson's chin and pulled his head up. Initially annoyed at the unwanted handling, Wilson's eyes widened with anxiety as he looked upon a silhouette doppelganger. The shadow blurred and wavered in front of Wilson, the only facial detail he could make out on its face was a twisted and cracked white smile. The silhouette tilted its head, "Playing with toys, Percy? You really think that thing will get you off this island?"

Dazed and fatigued, Wilson slumped over as he felt the shadow pull away. Straining to keep his eyes on the silhouette, Wilson watched as wisps of pitch black smoke trailed behind the odd entity. "_He called himself a friend…Is this one of Maxwell's tricks? A shadow puppet perhaps..?" _Wilson thought. "Best get out of that hole before the sun sets." The cheeky doppelganger hung in the air, still staring at Wilson. "Come on now." The thick shadow curled around, surveying the graveyard.

"W-What are you..?" Wilson asked, though he wasn't sure if he said so out loud or only thought it. Wilson's head spun violently and throbbed painfully as he struggled to pull himself up onto his feet. Black stringy strands crept into Wilson's vision, unable to tell if they were coming from the silhouette or if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Curious, Wilson tried grabbing at the wisps and strands losing his balance once again, finding himself dumbfounded and face down in the grave.

The shadow sat in the air, resting it's chin in its hand, "Wow, you've really gone off the deep end this time, Wil." The shade dived down and grabbed Wilson's vest, pulling the scientists up forcefully and flipping him right side up. "Alright now, no need to act like such a lump on a log. You need to wake-"A sharp clap filled the air as the shade swiftly slapped Wilson across the cheek, "-UP!" The backhanded slap seemed to have done the trick, motivating Wilson to sit himself up and flail his arms around wildly, "Get your hands _off_ me, you brute!"

It was futile, the shade simply lurked above Wilson and watched as it's body scattered then quickly rematerialized. "Feeling better, Percy?" The shade grabbed Wilson's chin again and lifted his face up, inspecting Wilson's eyes, "Hmmm, still a bit gone in the head. But you were always a little unhinged, weren't you?" Wilson yanked his head away and attempted to crawl back but felt a hindrance on his arms and legs. Frantic Wilson looked down and noticed black ribbons restraining his limbs and curling around his waist.

"When was the last time you laughed, Percival?" The shadow sneered, slowly inching closer, "You know what they say, 'Seven days without laughter makes one weak'." The doppelganger's arms shot forward and grabbed at Wilson, it's fingers digging deeply into his sides, "Aaah! Aah-haah! Hah-haaah!" A flock of birds scattered away as Wilson's shrill laughter filled the air. Wilson wriggled and jerked from side to side, trying to escape the shadow's assault, "St-aah-hahah! Stop! Stop this at once! Hah-haah!" Tears started to roll down Wilson's cheeks as he felt his shoes slip off, the shadow tossed them aside as it tugged off his socks.

The shadow let off on the tickling but had a firm grip on his ankles, "No! P-Please no more! Hahahah-N-Not there...!" Wilson whined, gasping for breath as the shade roughly pulled his bare feet up in the air. "I'm feeling much better, I promise- Oof!" The doppelganger dragged Wilson back, pulling him off the wall to the floor of the hole. "Ooh, yes there Percy. We must get all the insanity out before you can go home."

Wilson felt thin silky ribbons run up the soles of his feet. The sensation sent butterflies in Wilson's stomach, reluctantly letting giggles to escape from his mouth. Instinctively, Wilsons retreated into his shoulders and curled his toes, "P-please stop! This is, hah, quite ridiculous!" The shadow sat back and observed Wilson arch his back from the light tickling, "Come now, who doesn't enjoy the pleasures of laughter?"

The shadow fingers quickened their pace and gyrated against Wilson's foot, sending him into a hysterical guffaw. Arching his back, Wilson struggled against the restrains again as best he could. Wilson bounced against the floor, pleading in between bursts of laughter for the shade to stop. It was painful couple of minutes before the doppelganger released his grip on Wilson and pulled away, resting it's hands on it's hips and cocking it's head to the side, "See any more of those pesky lines now?" Wilson took a moment to let the laughter die out, curling up in the fetal position as he caught his breath.

The doppelganger waited patiently, picking the red rocket toy up with one of his shadow hands. Wilson shot up suddenly, feeling completely refreshed and oddly relaxed. He turned around and looked at the shadow, slightly cautious, "You look just like me…But why haven't I run into you before?" The shadow moved forward and shoved the toy into Wilson's chest, before flowing right through him and out of the grave. "Ah Wilson, we've met before. In fact, you've known me your whole life…I just took this opportunity to come out and say hello." Wilson held onto the toy as he pulled himself out of the grave.

The two returned to camp quietly, with the shadow leading the way. He hadn't noticed it before, but it seemed as if the shade's opacity had lowered as Wilson could see the camp right through it's mass. Fatigue had returned once again once Wilson and the shadow reached camp. He quickly stashed the toy into a chest before stumbling into his straw roll. The shadow swooped over to Wilson, gently tucking the scientist in, "How rude, is this how you say goodbye to a friend who's helped you out?"

"I really do wish to stay up and chat with myself, but-" Wilson yawned, twitching as his side cramped slightly, "but I'm much too tired…You are me, you would understand." The shadow moved towards one of Wilson's numerous chests and pried it open. "Mmm, yes of course. Going insane does drain the energy of you. However my help does come at a price," The doppelganger pulled a sharp axe out of the chest before closing it. "I'll be taking this with me…" It said before fading away.


End file.
